Hearty Primal Tomato Soup

Here is one of my favorite tomato soup recipes, it is creamy and hearty and oh so good.

Hearty Primal Tomato Soup

2 tbs butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup raw, whole, fresh goat milk (or heavy cream)
3 cups organic tomato or vegetable juice
4 tbs tomato paste
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh or dry oregano to taste
Fresh or dry basil to taste

1 1/4 cup organic cottage cheese or chevre
Grated organic Parmesan or romano

Try to use all organic items, and as many fresh and raw as possible.

Melt butter in a thick bottomed medium pot ad saute onions for about 2 minutes.

Gradually blend in goat milk (or cream), stir in tomato paste till all lumps are gone, gradually stir in tomato (veg) juice and season to taste.

Cook over low heat stirring often for 5 minutes at a gentle simmer.

Serve warm topped with cottage cheese, chevre cheese or sour cream and sprinkled with fresh grated parmesan or romano cheese.

This makes enough for me to have 4-5 moderate bowls full. No one else in the house likes tomato soup so I get the whole pot to myself. I usually have a bowls worth for dinner then enjoy it for lunch for several days through out the week. The cheese makes it a great hearty and filling choice, and I have always been a sucker for tomatoes and cheese together.

A few favorite snacks

I wanted to give a very quick list of a few favorite snacks, and how I never feel like I am starving, or get blood sugar crashes any more.

2 heaping spoon fulls plain organic Greek yogurt
Fresh, raw, local honey drizzled across the top
A splash of organic apple cider vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
Dill to taste

Stir till well mixed, use as a dip on fresh raw veg, some of my favorites are bell peppers, cucumbers, and carrots.

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Cottage cheese with herbs and spices.

I like three heaping spoons of organic cottage cheese with a variety of spices on it. Anything from just salt and pepper, to cumin, paprika and garlic powder. Or some times turmeric, paprika and curry.

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I like fruit flavored Greek yogurts. A favorite is two heaping spoons of lemon and two heaping spoons of blue berry. But really any will do, even better with fresh berries in it. There usually are no berries left fr mom with a  toddler around though.

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6 minute eggs

We have hens so never a short supply of fresh, free range, organic eggs about. The biggest issue is getting them to peal. Best trick is to wait till they are at least 3 days old, the older the egg the easier it peals, and to steam not boil.

My daughter loves eggs in any form, but boiled is her favorite, however she doesn't like a hard yolk, the answer? The 6 minute egg! Hard enough to peal, still has a soft gooey center she loves.

A favorite snack around here is two 6 minute eggs each with a small glass of fresh raw goat milk.

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Apple slices and other fresh fruits.

I will cut up and apple in the morning and pop it in the fridge. If I feel hungry or want something to snack on I grab an apple or two and munch them real quick.

Other favorites my daughter and I love are nectarines, pluots, tangerines, grapes, and what ever other great produce has come in that weeks box.


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Well thats what we have been snacking on regularly in my house. I am sure I will think of more to share latter, and I am sure that our staples will shift with the seasons. I hope this helps you get some ideas and inspires you.

Going Primal

I haven't been blogging for the last year. Major family changes going on and major health issues on my part. So it was time for a change. Discovered I have to make some serious dietary changes. No nuts, no seeds, no grains and no sugar! There are actually a whole lot more no foods than that but that give you an idea of the direction I am headed. On the other hand I am needing more dairy, more meat, and more veg. The idea behind this is to lesson my fibro symptoms and boost my immune system.

To make my life as easy as possible I have started weekly menus again, and home cooking all my foods from scratch again. I had to do this the last time I got super sick, but had gotten lacks over the last couple of years and have been paying for it.

My current tactic is search the web for tasty looking paleo, primal or easily adjusted recipes. Make up a menu for the week I am planning for, this is usually 3-4 meals, the rest will be eating left overs and snacky foods, I am really big on no waste and not over doing it. This means I do not have to cook every day and can cook when feeling up to it, and can eat left overs when too ran down. And the last step is shopping lists. I look at my menu for the week, see what we have on hand and buy only the basics needed for the meals on my list, plus a few extras. That's it. One other thing I try to do when meal planning is plan meals that have ingredients that over lap, so again no waste and I have to buy less. I usually have two meat based meals and one to two meat free meals, or with low meat. Examples would be a pork week, where two of the meals both call for pork, I buy just enough to cover both recipes, and have no other meat to buy. Same for chicken, two chicken weeks. Thus having a bit of a theme. Other examples are green onions, scallions or leaks, mushrooms, cabbage, really any ingredient.

Each weekend I do my shopping for the coming week. I usually pick up a produce box with a  variety of produce, along with fresh raw goat milk, and some times cheese. I then get what ever other veg are still on my list and my meat. I also make sure to have snack foods on hand, we pretty well always have apples and other fruits, carrots and cucumbers, yogurt and cottage cheese. That along with fresh organic free range eggs from our hens rounds out our daily diets.

I am not a big breakfast fan, but I eat an early lunch, this is often left overs, then I grab a carrot or few slices of apple or what ever fresh raw veg we have on hand for snacks till dinner. I eat 2-3 actual "meals" the rest the time grazing. Besides cottage cheese and yogurt a favorite snack is a couple spoons of plain yogurt, fresh raw local honey drizzled over it, organic apple cider vinegar splashed in, then dusted with salt pepper and dill to taste, mix well and use as a dip for bell peppers, cucumbers, carrots and other veg. Another favorite snack around here is two 6 minute steamed eggs (best if at least 3 days old, too fresh will not peal no matter how you cook them) with a small glass of fresh, raw goat milk.

I have been photographing my meals as I go along, and have decided to share along with recipes to help any others starting out on this path. Most the recipes are gathered from online sources, and most the time I have written them down and not kept track of where I got the recipe, so please forgive not giving proper credit like I would like. Many have been altered just a bit to best suit my diet needs.

For more recipes check out my Pinterest page, warning not all pinned recipes are paleo, primal, or even close to healthy. http://pinterest.com/laemorae/food/

I invite you to follow along on my journey and join me in making healthier choices.

German pancakes

I have been making German pancakes a lot lately, and everyone just loves them!

The family enjoys them as a desert like treat filled with lemon, blueberry or cherry pie filling and topped with whipped cream, or filled with sausage, eggs and cheese. No matter how you eat them, they are delicious!

Epic Cheese Cake Birthday Blog

Today was Bear's 1st birthday!!! 

She LOVES cheese cake! So I decided to make her a Lemon cheese cake with blue berry sauce and whipped cream to celebrate. 

Short bread cookies getting crunched up for the crust.

Butter and cookies mixing.

Crust ready to be baked.

Mixing the filling.

Zesty!

Mixing the filling.

Taste test...

Ready for its water bath.

Ready for the oven.

Movie magic and a second latter its all ready to take out.

Perfection!

I forgot to get photos of the blue berry sauce cooking, so just picture bubbling blue berries.

Whipping the cream to top our pieces.

And there it is, Bear's 1st birthday cake!

We quickly realized the plate was a bad idea!

I think everyone agreed it was a great cake and an awesome birthday!

All Photos in this blog are the soul property of Full Knitted Jacket. Please contact me for permission before using any images from my blogs. All recipes and directions, unless other wise specified, are my personal recipes. Please do not copy or redistribute these recipes, instead please share this blogs link. Please enjoy these recipes while remembering they are the creative property of some one else. All  product designs, descriptions, recipes, directions, and images copyright Lae Morae / Adina Higdon and Full Knitted Jacket unless other wise specified.  All rights reserved. 

Corned beef pockets

These are a great alternative to some of the over processed microwave pockets on the market. As you all know I love fewer ingredients and more fully home cooked. These can easily be made with home made dough instead of the short cuts I listed below.

Corned beef pockets on salad plates for size reference. (c) Full Knitted Jacket, 2012

Place corned beef brisket in crock pot with enough water to just cover the meat. For one brisket season by adding a small handful of each of the following seeds. Coriander, mustard, and pepper corns, thyme is also a great addition. Cook meat till tender and falling apart. 10 + hours we usually cook ours over night. 


For pot pie like pockets use Jiff wholewheat pizza crust mix according to box. 1box makes two meat pies! 


For biscuit pockets use Bisquick biscuit recipe. 1 batch makes 4 meat pies.


Preheat oven to 350 F


Either dough you use, get it kneaded and rolled out. A pizza cutter works well to cut rolled dough into sections. I prefer to mix all my dough then divide in half before kneading and rolling. I then cut the rolled dough in half for a total of 4 pies. 

Half the dough rolled out and ready for stuffing. (c) Full Knitted Jacket, 2012

Set rolled dough aside to rise slightly while you prep filling.


For corned beef and cabbage you will need a small head of cabbage, a head of garlic, and your cooked brisket. 


Saute chopped garlic in butter or oil till aromatic, add chopped cabbage and cook till wilted, add chunks of corned beef to mix making sure to remove fat. Cook till warmed. 


I wish I could tell you exactly how much to make, but much of it is eye balling how big your crusts are. I like garlic, so I use about a half a head and about 1/4 head of cabbage then I add meat till the meat and cabbage look to be about equal ratios, this seems to be about right for 4 meat pies. 

Perfect amount of filling for 4 meat pies. (c) Full Knitted Jacket, 2012

Divide filling evenly between crusts, setting a scoop in the center of each.

Perfect amount of filling for crusts. (c) Full Knitted Jacket, 2012

Wet a finger with water and run along the out side edge of the crusts, fold dough over and pinch closed at edge.

Arrange pies on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.

Ready for oven. (c) Full Knitted Jacket, 2012

Cook till dough firms up and begins to forma  crust. Remove, butter, return to oven and cook till golden brown. 

Enjoy! (c) Full Knitted Jacket, 2012

This recipe would also be perfect for chicken pies, just use chicken and maybe some carrots, potatoes and peas, heck just about anything could go in these. Just remember to cook your filling before adding to your crusts!


All Photos in this blog are the soul property of Full Knitted Jacket. Please contact me for permission before using any images from my blogs. All recipes and directions, unless other wise specified, are my personal recipes. Please do not copy or redistribute these recipes, instead please share this blogs link. Please enjoy these recipes while remembering they are the creative property of some one else. All  product designs, descriptions, recipes, directions, and images copyright Lae Morae / Adina Higdon and Full Knitted Jacket unless other wise specified.  All rights reserved. 

Truffles

Ok so I haven't posted in a while, uh like a year, haha. SO I am more than a  little behind . So here to make it up to you I will share some recipes and some bloggy yummy goodness.

These truffles are super easy and oh so good!

3 cups of chocolate chips

1 package cream cheese

3 cups of powdered sugar

Flavor to taste

Mix all ingredients except chocolate (I usually make a double batch and divide it up depending on my flavors. Peppermint and orange are my two fav, but you can also do almond for cherry and coconut or any other flavor you think of. I bet maple would be really good.)

Melt your chocolate in a double boiler thingy or in a metal bowl over hot water. Stirring frequently to prevent burning.

Mix chocolate into your cream mix.

Let it cool so you don't burn your hands and roll into balls.

You are then going to want to roll your balls in something, I like just powdered sugar, but you can do cocoa, coconut or anything powdery and tasty.

You can also chill these truffles then dip into melted chocolate for a layered truffle. Which is excellent with white chocolate centers and a milk chocolate shell.

Set balls on parchment paper covered baking tray and pop into fridge or freezer till chilled and firm.

I usually tick them in the freezer after I fill a tray, then they are set by the time I finish the next tray and ready for bags.

Remember to store them in the fridge. Chocolate and cream cheese do not like the freezer. And they won't last long enough for storage to be much issue!

I forgot to get pictures when I made these so just picture little balls of chocolate heaven!

All Photos in this blog are the soul property of Full Knitted Jacket. Please contact me for permission before using any images from my blogs. All recipes and directions, unless other wise specified, are my personal recipes. Please do not copy or redistribute these recipes, instead please share this blogs link. Please enjoy these recipes while remembering they are the creative property of some one else. All  product designs, descriptions, recipes, directions, and images copyright Lae Morae / Adina Higdon and Full Knitted Jacket unless other wise specified.  All rights reserved.